THE BOLAN CHRONICLES: Reading # 31

31. Approximate Minutes Reading (AMR): 15

Introduction to Characters

THE BOLAN CHRONICLES

Chapter 3

A House

**Datsun 510**

Donna was willing to accept the added responsibilities as a result of Jake’s new job opportunity. It was assurance of a more secure future, and she was confident that Jake would do well at both jobs. He was never afraid of hard work, and he was frugal, so she anticipated the effect that it could have on their savings. 

Donna had not complained about being without a car. She worked around Jake’s schedule, and she had her mom and Missy’s help. She hoped that within the next couple of years they could justify purchasing a used car, but for now, she was happy to continue to work things out as they were. 

A few days after Jake had started working at the service station, Ken walked into the restaurant, found Jake standing in front of the walk-in cooler, placed his hand on his shoulder, and held out the keys to the car. “I’ll need you to sign a couple of things, but other than that, it’s yours. Enjoy!” And as he headed back through the dining room, he turned around said, “It’s the cute little avocado green one parked out back next to the dumpster.” Then he added, “Oh, and Jake, the front end license plate is under the driver’s seat. You’ll want to get that on as soon as possible.”

Twila had been standing in the office doorway and a smile was painted from one side of her face to the other. “I’m goin’ out there with you, Jake. Come on, Honey!”

It was avocado green, just as Ken had stated. It was also little, just as Ken had stated; a 1971 four-door Datsun 510, shined up and looking almost brand new.

“Hoooly crap! Look at this thing! It’s great!” Jake exclaimed.

“I done told ya you’d like it, didn’t I? Ken takes good care ‘o his stuff!”

Jake admired the near flawless green paint. Even the tires looked new. He opened the driver’s side door. The smell of vinyl and what Jake thought was probably carpet shampoo flooded his nostrils. With the exception of a couple of slight scratches on the steel dash, and a small tear in the driver’s side seat, it was flawless. He opened the small glove compartment and looked at the bench seat in the back, in even better condition than the front.

With the door open, he sat down in the driver’s seat. After a deep sigh, he said, “I can’t believe this, Twila!”

“Well Honey, you just enjoy it, okay? Ken wouldn’a done it if he didn’t really think the world of ya, and I don’t blame him a damn bit. You’re a hard worker and you done Ken a lot o’ good.”

Jake smiled then slid the key into the ignition and started it up. “I’m used to the 350 in Rookie! This sounds like a piss ant’s motorcycle!”

Twila replied, “Becha it gets good mileage!”

“No question about that, Twila!” He shut the engine off. 

“You said that you wanted to see the look on Donna’s face, right?”

“You bet I do!”

“Well, I’ll need to get this car home somehow. If you wouldn’t mind driving it out to our place tomorrow morning—that would be great. And then you could see the baby and the look on Donna’s face, all at once!”

“You don’t work tomorrow, Honey?”

“Nope. I’ve got tomorrow off from the station.” Jake slid out of the car and shut the door.

“Sweetie, I’d be happy to do that. What time?”

“Can you come by at around 9:00 or so?”

“Yeseree and howdy doodie!”

He handed her the keys and thanked her, then he said, “Oh, and Twila, when you pull up to the driveway, don’t knock on the door. Stay in the car and honk the horn three or four times. And make the last honk a long one; maybe 15 or 20 seconds.”

Confused, Twila asked, “Why, Jake?”

He smiled, “Just do it, okay Twila?”

“You’re a sneaky one, you! What have you got up your sleeve?”

Jake produced an even wider grin, made a hissing sound, and walked away.

He spent the remainder of his shift preoccupied with how the event would unfold the next day, and it was hard for him to concentrate on his work. 

That night, after macaroni and cheese, Jake talked to Donna about work; that though they would be enjoying a greater income with the addition of the service station job, they would have to continue to be financially prudent. It was important that they save every penny they could so that when the time came, which wasn’t so long from now, they would be financially prepared for the academy, which of course would lead to a significantly greater income when he was a police officer. 

“I agree, Jake.” Donna had said.

“Unfortunately, that means that some of the things that other people around us have, we’re going to have to do without.”

Donna reached out and touched his arm. “I don’t need those things, Jake. I’m so happy with you and with our little Dean. How much could things possibly be worth when they only make people happy for a little while? Then the excitement goes away! I have you and Dean for the rest of my life. That’s happiness!” Her eyes were wet. 

Jake replied, “Well, that’s all well and fine for now. I just hope that you’ll keep that in mind when it starts to get old waiting for me to get home just so you can go to the store, or when you have to ask your mom, again, to bring something by the house because you don’t have the transportation to do it yourself.” He smiled, “Or when you have to wait on that little pudgy midget next door to take you to Wegman’s for a gallon of milk.”

Donna assured him that she was more than willing to wait, and besides, how long could it possibly be? And that if Jake could finish at the Academy in the next two years and get hired soon after, that’s certainly not ….

Jake interrupted, “Okay, I have to tell you about something what happened at the service station this morning.”

“What happened, Jake?”

Jake exhaled dramatically, “Okay, first of all, you need to know that I’m sure that everything will be just fine and that nothing bad is going to happen, okay?”

With a look of concern, Donna said, “One second,” She excused herself for a moment, got up and checked on Dean who was fast asleep in his crib. “Okay, sorry. Go on.”

“I was filling this guy’s tank this morning. No big deal, nothing new, I do it a million times a day. Well, he gets out of his car and tells me that he asked for premium gas and that I had been pumping regular. He’s got tattoos all over his neck. He looks to be about 35 or 40 years old. And he’s big—a really thick, big-boned kind of guy. And he’s got hair like a woman. I mean, it looked like he had it curled or something. Really a freak.”

Donna’s eyes were as wide as dishes. Jake was struggling to keep a straight face.

“So I apologize to him and stop the pump. I ask him if he’d like for me to finish it off with premium. He looks at me and says, ‘This car has never had anything but premium, and you just fucked it all up!’”

“Oh no, Jake! How uncomfortable that must have been!”

Jake continued, “Yeah, but the real uncomfortable part came next.” And here Jake breathed deeply, looked up then said; “He takes a pistol out of his car.”

“Oh my god, Jake!”

“Yeah, and he doesn’t point it right at me, but he sort of points it toward the car as he talks, kinda like it’s just a cigarette or something like that. He says something like, ‘And now it’s not worth as much to me. It’s like a virgin that you hold out for and then find out that your worst enemy just rode her.’ And at that point, another customer pulls up, so this guy throws the gun back in the car, and just before he drives off, he rolls the window down and says, ‘I happen to know where you live, you little prick! Expect to see me again!’”

Donna covered her mouth. Her eyes had widened even more, and she said, “Did he even pay?”

“No, Donna. He didn’t pay. But that was the last thing that I was worried about.” Then Jake stood up and pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket and said, “776 dash UJU. That was his license plate number. I memorized it and wrote it down as soon as he screeched out of the station. And it was a greenish colored little car. It looked foreign, maybe Japanese.”

Donna said, “Oh Jake. Do you think we need to worry about it?”

Jake paused then said, “I called one of my cop friends, and he checked on the plate number—said the guy’s on parole, out of prison after serving time for some pretty serious crimes.”

“Are they going to go get him...you know...pick him up?”

Jake said, “Well, they’ve contacted his parole officer already, and their waiting to hear back from him, but until then, there isn’t much that can be done.” He grabbed Donna’s hand and said, “It’s not something you should worry about. It’s likely that nothing will come of it, but you do need to know that if something happens, I’ll take care of it. It’ll be fine.”

Donna leaned into Jake and said, “I’ll just be a little scared when you’re not here, Jake.”

Jake held her close, “Don’t worry about it, okay. I’m sure the idiot was all talk. Besides, how the hell would he know where I live? He was just tryin’ to scare me.”

After a moment, Donna looked up and said, “Thank you, Jake.”

The next morning, Donna had gotten up early enough to fix a big breakfast since Jake had the morning off. Now that he had two jobs, it was particularly special to her when he was home. 

Jake smelled the bacon and eggs, and when he walked out of the bedroom door, he said something about bacon being the food of the gods, and he sat down with Donna and they began to eat. They discussed the coming week. Donna had planned on calling her mom about picking her and Dean up to shop for groceries. Jake wanted to get some time in his Peace Room; said he’d missed it since he’d started the second job. 

When he finished eating, Jake thanked Donna for breakfast and said, “It’s about 9:00. I’ve got a little time, so Peace Room here I come.”

Donna began cleaning dishes. The service station tattooed man incident had all but disappeared from her thoughts. When she heard the honking of a car’s horn, at first she thought nothing of it, but when she heard it again, she began to wonder. Then it honked again, only this time it wasn’t stopping. She grabbed a towel and dried her hands. Then she walked to the living room window and pulled the curtain aside. When she did, the honking stopped. She saw the green little car sitting in their driveway, and her mind went back to Jake’s story. Her heart raced. She saw the shadows of the driver and couldn’t make out a face, but the outline of the hair matched Jake’s description. And she could tell from the silhouette that he was big. Little Dean hadn’t woken, so Donna ran down the basement steps.

“Jake! It’s that car!”

Jake turned, “What the hell are you doing down here, and what the hell car are you...” He paused and put on the most convincing terrorized look that he could conjure. “Donna! Go back upstairs and get to our room. Close the door until I tell you to come out! GO! NOW!”

Donna ran back upstairs and pulled Dean from his crib and she went into their room and closed the door, just as she had been told. Dean had awoken. Donna looked into his eyes and nervously smiled. “I’ll always be here for you, Dean.” She heard Jake running up the stairs and then to the front door. Then she heard him yell something about calling the police. She was scared. She held Dean tightly and went to the restroom, locking the door behind them, and she waited. 

When Jake finally knocked on the door and told her it was safe now; that the guy had left, she sighed deeply and gave Dean another squeeze. She and Jake walked to the living room and sat down. 

Jake said, “That was really scary!”

“What happened?”

Jake inhaled and said, “I went out there and pulled him out of the car.”

“Jake! What?!”

“Yeah. I pulled him out of his car, and I told him that if I ever caught him on my property again I’d rip his arm off and beat the shit out of him with it.”

“Jake! Oh my god!”

Jake grinned and said, “He won’t be back, Donna, believe me.”

Donna got up and peeked through the curtains. “Jake! His car is still in the driveway!”

Jake joined her at the window. He put his arm around her and said, “No, no, Donna. That’s not his car.”

Confused, Donna looked up at him and said, “What do you mean? I saw his silhouette in that car’s driver’s seat!”

Just then, someone knocked on the front door.

“Jake! Who is that?”

Jake opened the door and Twila had barely made it through when she noticed the look of terror on Donna’s face. She laughed and said, “Honey, I don’t know what he done, but he made me go ‘long with this, I tell ya!”

Donna looked at Jake and said angrily, “Jake, what is going on!”

Jake put his arm around Donna and led her outside. By now, Donna had understood the prank.

Jake pointed to the green Datsun and said, “That car is yours, Donna! Ken gave it to us, and it’s going to be yours to drive around.”

At first, Donna just stared at the little car. It took her some time to process the information. Then she looked at Twila, who was standing there with a grin, and then she looked at Jake, and he held out the car keys and said, “Take her for a spin, Donna!” 

“Jake! I…I…”

Jake and Twila laughed at Donna’s confusion and surprise. Jake said, “Go ahead, Donna! She’s all yours!”

Donna said, “She’s?”

“The little car, Donna. She’s all yours.”

Donna stepped outside and examined her new possession. She interrogated Jake, finally began to loosen up a bit then opened the car door and sat in the driver’s seat. She started it up and looked at Jake. 

“Take her for a spin!” He smiled.

Donna drove the car to her mom’s house, and the two admired it. Her mom told Donna that Jake must be some kind of really amazing employee and that she was a lucky girl to have him. Donna smiled, and then she cried, and her mother hugged her.

“I was about to go to the store to pick up a couple of things. How about we take your car!”

“Yeah. Let’s take her.” Donna replied.

“Her?”

“Oh! That’s what Jake called it. He said, ‘She’s all yours.’”

Her mom laughed and asked her what her name was.

Donna looked at the car again. She thought for a moment, then she said, “I’m not sure yet, Mom. I’ll let you know when I think of a good name. I want it to be a name that fits perfectly.” And the two of them laughed together and climbed into the car.

On the way to the store they discussed the new possibilities for Donna, now that she was freed up to go when she wanted. She could take Dean to the park, and she could travel to places further from their home. Her mom assured her that she was still available to help with anything she needed, particularly with Dean. 

“Oh my god, Mom!”

“What is it?”

“I left Dean at home and didn’t expect to be gone this long.”

“Well, Jake is home with him, Donna. He’s fine.”

Donna pulled off the road. She thought for a moment and said, “I probably should go back, Mom.”

“That’s fine, Honey. I can go to the store any time. I just thought it would be fun together to take your new—well—your almost new car for a ride.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

When Donna finally pulled into the driveway, Jake was out the door before she shut off the engine. He splayed his arms, palms up. 

When she stepped out of the car he said, “Where the hell did you go?”

Donna was sure that she had worried him.

“I’m sorry, Jake. I was having so much fun with Mom that I…”

“With your mom? You went to your mom’s house?”

“Well, yeah. I thought my mom would love to see the car.”

Jake stood within a foot of Donna and said, “I’ve been sitting in that house listening to a screaming kid for an hour, Donna. He wouldn’t shut his mouth!”

Donna apologized for her inconsideration and said that she didn’t know what happened; that she must have been so excited about the car that she forgot about everything else. And she began to sob.

Seeing her regret, Jake turned around and walked back. He told her not to worry about it; that it wasn’t a big deal; that he would get over it. “But get in here and see if you can get this little guy to stop crying, damn it! Nothing seems to work for me.”

Donna changed Dean’s diaper and rocked him in her arms, and within a minute he was asleep. She gently placed him in his crib and shut the door. Then she apologized once more and assured Jake that it was an isolated incident that wouldn’t happen again. Jake grabbed a magazine off of the kitchen table and said nothing. Then he walked to the basement door and paused. Donna looked at him and asked if everything was okay.

“Yeah, Donna. Everything is just hickery-dickery. I’ll be in my office. Don’t bother me.”